Collapsible airplane



O. C. HDLGERSON.

COLLAPSIBLE AIRPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19. |920.

1,368,150. Patented F61). 8, 1921.

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O. C. HOLGERSON.

COLLAPSIBLE AIRPLANE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. ls; 1920,

1,368,150. 1 Patented Feb. s, 1921.

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INVENIOR 0. C. HOLGERSON.

coLLAPswLE MR'PLANE.

APPLICATION FILED HAR. I9. |920.

1,368,150. Patented Feb. s, 1921. A

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O. C. HOLGERSON.

COLLAFSIBLE AIRPANE.

APPLICATION man ma. 19. 1920.

1,368,150. Patented Feb. s, 1921.

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K INVENTOR ATTORNEY PATENT OFFICE.

OTTO C. HOLGERSON, OF PEABODY, KANSAS.

COLLAPSIBLE AIRPLANE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

Application led March 19, 1920. Serial No. 367,187.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO C. HoLGnnsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peabody, in the county of Marion and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Airplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to aircraft, and particularly machines of the heavier-thanair type. Under the present construction of airplanes, it is practically impossible to operate the same on city streets and highways on account of the great spread of machines, and it also requires a large shed to house the machines. The broad object of this invention is to produce what may be termed a collapsible or foldable airplane; also, means operable by the aviator without leaving his seat in the machine, whereby the wings may be folded to and from their operative or flying attitudes. This enables the aviator to fold the wings of the machine for landing and in order to travel along a narrow highway or street and it further enables the aviator, upon reaching a ying field or broad space, to restore the wings of the craft to their flying attitude preparatory to launching the machine in actual flight.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and operative arragement of parts hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an airplane embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through the machine showing the wing locking means.

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section I through the machine showing the wing fold- A ing means.

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through the machine showing the wing guid- .v ing means.

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse section through the machineillustrating the aileron vshowing the wings folded.

y brackets 17 on the fuselage.

peller shaft 4 and propeller 5. The forward portion of the fuselage has a compartment 6 in which the engine is contained, said engine driving` the propeller 5 which is shown as of the tractor type.

Extending laterally from opposite sides of the fuselage are supporting planes or wings 7 of the usual formation, said wings being arranged slightly above the level of the top of the fuselage, as shown in Fig. 1.

The wings 7 are, however, mounted for independent folding movement, as will hereinafter appear. Vith that end in View, each of the wings 7 has fiXedly secured to the inner edge thereof a wing iron 8 extending in a fore and aft direction under normal flying push and pull rod 12 pivotally connected at fits forward position tothe catch 10 and eX- tending rearwardly to the cock pit 13 of the fuselage, where it is provided with an operating handle 14. This enables the aviator, without moving from his seat, to lock and unlock the wing irons 8 and consequently the wings. When the catch 10 is in its lock- 'ing position, the wings are securely held in fixed relation to the fuselage.

Each of the wings has secured to the under surface thereof a runner or eye 15 and said runners or eyes are adapted to move along or traverse oppositely arranged arcuate guide rods 16 which are secured to The guides 16 extend from their upper ends outwardly and forwardly, as shown in the drawings, while the rear ends thereof extend inwardly and rearwardly, as shown. Therefore, the inner ends of the wings 7 are adapted during the folding operation to move forwardly, then downwardly and finally rearwardly, while the outer end portions of the wings move in the opposite direction. Y

The movement of the wings isA brought',

about by positive means consisting of a pair of substantially upright shafts 18 arranged at opposite sides of the fuselage and connected by gears 19 and 20 to a lowdown rock shaft 21 operable by means of a crank arm or lever 22. Each of the shafts 18 has fixedly mounted upon the upper end thereof a cross head 23 which is substantially U- shaped and which has pivotally connected thereto by a horizontal hinge pin 24, an inverted U-shaped member 25 which is X edly secured by bolts or equivalent fasteners 26 to the bottom of the respective wings 7 adjacent to the inner end thereof. By means just described, the wings 7 are simultaneously turned through an arc of substantially 90 and by means of the hinge pins 24, the wings are adapted at the same time, to fold or swing downwardly alongside of the fuselage, so as to keep the position illustrated in Fig. 8. By the same means the wings may be restored from the position shown in Fig. 8 to the flying position or attitude as shown in Fig. 1.

The ailerons 27 are mounted upon rock shafts 28 to which they are rigidly attached. Each rock shaft has at its inner end a ball and socket joint connection 29 with a crank shaft 30 journaled in a frame member 31 of the machine. Connected pivotally to the crank arm 32 of the shaft 31 is an aileron operating rod 33 of the push and pull type. The rods 33 extend downwardly and are pivotally connected at 34 to an equalizing ever 35, the latter being fastened to a normally vertical abrasion lever 36, for the purpose of controlling the elevator and ailerons of the machine, and therefore the longitudinal and lateral stability. The lever 36 is mounted in a stationary bearing base or support 37 and has connected thereto at points above and below the lever 35, the controlling cablesor connections 38 which extend rearwardly to the elevator.

In order to fold the wings, it is important to disconnect the ailerons. This is accomplished by constructing each of the crank shafts 30 in two parts, one part having a pin or cross head 39 which is received in a correspondingly shaped socket member l0 on the upper section of the crank shaft and as Ashown Fig. 6. The parts 39 and 40 are automatically connected and disconnected so that no time is required to connect and disconnect the aileron controls preparatory to folding the wings of thel machine, this being'done by a movement of the lever 22. The wings are folded back by pulling on the operating handle 514, at the same time operating lever 22.

By means'of the construction above described, the wings may be folded to lie snugly against and alongside of the fuselage. This enables the machine to be housed in a comparatively small hangar and also enables the machine to be propelled under its own power along a narrow highway where it would be impossible to operate an ordinary airplane with the wings fixed in their flying attitude.

I-Iaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. In aircraft, a fuselage, wings normally fixed to the fuselage while in flight, substantially upright shafts at opposite sides of the center of the fuselage and having the wings attached thereto by jointed connections permitting the wings to be folded, manually-operable means for turning said shafts simultaneously in opposite directions to correspondingly swing the wings, arcuate wing-guiding rods secured to the fuselage, runners on the wings to traverse said rods, and means on the fuselage to lock said wings in fiying attitude.

2. In aircraft, a fuselage, wings normally fixed to the fuselage while in flight, substantially upright shafts at opposite sides of the center of the fuselage and having the wings attached thereto by jointed connections permitting the wings to be folded, manuallyoperable means for turning said shafts simultaneously in opposite directions to correspondingly swing the wings, arcuate wing-guiding rods secured to the fuselage, runners on the wings to traverse said rods, means on the fuselage to lock said wings in fiying attitude, and wing-releasing means operable from the aviators seat.

3. In aircraft, a fuselage, wings normally fixed to the fuselage while in flight, substantially upright shafts at opposite sides of the center of the fuselage and having the wings attached thereto by jointed connections permitting the wings to be folded by a combined horizontal swinging and hinged movement, manually operable means for turning said shafts simultaneousl in opposite directions to corresponding y swing the wings, arcuate wing-guiding rods secured to the fuselage. and runners on the wings to traverse said rods.

4. In aircraft, a fuselage, wings normally fixed to the fuselage while in flight, substantially upright shafts at opposite sides of the center of the fuselage and having the wings attached thereto by jointed connections permitting `the wings to be folded, manuallyoperable means forturning said shafts simultaneouslyin opposite directions to correspondingly swing the wings, arcuate wingguiding rods secured tothe fuselage, runners on the wings to traverse said rods, ailerons carried by said wings, and ailerons controlling means embodying separable members.

5. In aircraft, a fuselage, wings normally fixed to the fuselage while in flight, substantially upright shafts at opposite sides of the center of the fuselage and having the Wings fasman Y attached thereto by jointed connections permitting the Wings to be folded, manuallyoperable means for turning said shafts simultaneously in opposite directions to cor- 5 respondigly swing the Wings, arcuate Wingguidng rods secured to the fuselage, runners on the Wings to traverse said rods, Wing irons attached to the inner edges of the Wings and having offset portions, and a locking member on the fuselage to engage and 10 hold said offset portions.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

OTTO C. HOLGERSON. 

